


waterfalls

by wearing_tearing



Series: slices [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Hair Braiding, M/M, Married Life, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-29
Updated: 2016-06-29
Packaged: 2018-07-19 01:55:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7339846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wearing_tearing/pseuds/wearing_tearing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You won’t be able to braid my hair after you’ve <em>suffocated</em> me to death.”</p><p>“Yes, I will,” Steve says, smiling down at him. “And with a lot less complaining too.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	waterfalls

**Author's Note:**

> nothing happens in this.
> 
> and thanks to [myladyday](http://archiveofourown.org/users/MyLadyDay) for reading this over for me :*

“Stop laughing at me.”

“I’m not laughing at you.” Bucky bites down on his bottom lip, shoulders shaking as he does his best not to break into giggles.

“This isn’t funny.” Steve points a finger at him, cheeks flushed with frustration and something else.

Something else that Bucky recognizes as _sheer panic_ , not that he’ll say it out loud. He’s learned to keep quiet and let Steve process things on his own time when he’s like this, faced with a situation out of his comfort zone that leaves him fumbling and without knowing what to do.

Steve is still notoriously bad at accepting help from others, even from Bucky, even after over a decade of being together. Bucky knows any and all attempts to calm Steve down or offer help right now will be shut down hard, so he settles for crossing his arms over his chest, swallowing down the laughter bubbling in his throat, and watching his husband panic.

Over _braids_.

“You’re right,” Bucky agrees, trying his best to look serious. “Nothing about this is funny. Not a single thing.”

Steve makes a face at him, equal parts disappointed and pissed off. “ _Bucky_.”

“I don’t know why you’re so worried about this.” Bucky uncrosses his arms and scoots over on the couch until their sides touch, and rests his chin on Steve’s shoulder. “You’re going to do great.”

“But I have no idea what I’m doing,” Steve admits quietly, eyes flicking to the list of waterfall braids tutorials on their laptop screen. “I don’t know why Izzy asked me to do this.”

Bucky can’t help but smile then, nuzzling his nose against Steve’s cheek. “It’s because you’re her _favorite_!” he sing-songs, smacking a loud kiss to Steve’s jaw before pulling back. “And… And what did she say again?”

“Buck.” Steve turns to him, his flush deepening, cheeks impossibly red.

“Oh, right.” Bucky grins, and, in the best imitation of his eight-year-old niece, says, “ _Uncle Steve, you’re an artist and you make things pretty and I want to be the prettiest angel in the school play_!”

Steve blinks at him, looking kind of impressed. “You sounded exactly like her just now.”

“Thank you,” Bucky answers, preening. “Really, Steve, you can hack this.”

“You think so?” Steve asks him, eyes softening and lips curling up in a small smile.

“Yes,” Bucky says, and leans in to kiss him, short and sweet.

“Thanks,” Steve murmurs against his lips, stealing another quick kiss.

“Always, sweetheart.” Bucky pulls back a little, only so Steve can fully appreciate when he says, “You’re great with your hands.”

Bucky bursts out laughing when Steve groans and pushes him away, falling on his back on the couch. Some of his hair ends up covering half of his face, Bucky spitting a few of the strands that get into his mouth, wrinkling his nose at himself. He can hear Steve laughing at him, and not two seconds later Steve is holding his chin with one hand, keeping him still as he pulls Bucky’s hair away from his face.

“Want a hair tie?”

Bucky touches his lips to Steve’s wrist in a ghost of a kiss and nods, sitting up again so he can put his hair in a bun at the top of his head. When he looks up again it’s to see Steve staring at him, brows furrowed and bottom lip caught under his teeth, a considering look on his face. Bucky narrows his eyes, body tensing. He recognizes that expression, has seen it on Steve’s face often enough over the years to know that he probably won’t like whatever it is that’s about to follow.

“What?” he asks, even though he doesn’t really want to know the answer.

Steve shuffles closer, knee digging into Bucky’s thigh, one of his hands coming to rest just above Bucky’s knee. “You’re beautiful,” he says quietly, fingers lightly tugging at a loose strand of Bucky’s hair before tucking it behind Bucky’s ear.

Bucky’s stomach flips, the ever-present butterflies whenever Steve talks to him like this still making him feel young and in love even after all these years. That still doesn’t mean he’s not suspicious though.

“What are you sweet talkin’ me for?”

Steve’s eyes widen, blue and big and innocent. It’s the curl of his lip that gives him away, like always, showing Bucky the mischief behind Steve’s expression.

“Can’t I call my husband beautiful anymore?” Steve asks, all mock offense and hurt. “Is the romance dead?”

Bucky rolls his eyes, but doesn’t stop himself from smiling. “We both know you want something.”

“How about a kiss?” Steve waggles his eyebrows, hand cupping Bucky’s jaw, his thumb pressing just under Bucky’s bottom lip.

Bucky raises an eyebrow at him and then grins, leaning forward and smacking a loud and wet kiss to Steve’s forehead. “There. Now what do you really want?”

Steve pouts, but when Bucky doesn’t say anything and just keeps staring, he lowers his eyes and sighs. “It’s nothing,” he mumbles, hand dropping to his lap.

And isn’t that the biggest lie Bucky’s heard today.

“ _Steve_.”

Steve looks up at Bucky from under his lashes, gaze uncertain and flickering from Bucky’s face to his hair and back again.

Bucky thinks he has a pretty good idea where this is going.

And Steve only confirms it when the next words out of his mouth are, “You have long hair.”

Bucky takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, nodding. “I do, yes.”

“Maybe I could, you know…” Steve trails off, staring hopefully at Bucky.

Bucky isn’t going to let him have it that easy, not if he’s the one who’s going to have to sit on his ass for hours, keeping still, while Steve messes with his hair. “What?”

“You know what.”

“I don’t know anything,” Bucky says, fighting back a smile when Steve scowls. “Only that your face is gonna get stuck that way.”

Steve actually _growls_ and pounces on him, sending Bucky crashing back into the couch cushions, air rushing out of his lungs.

“Well,” Bucky breaths out, clearing his throat, his arms trapped between their chests. “That wasn’t nice.”

“You’re not nice,” Steve replies and, just to be a dick, drops his whole weight on Bucky, pinning him to the couch.

“Oh, shit,” Bucky wheezes, laughing a little. “Get up, you lug.”

“Nope.”

“It’s like having a car on top of my chest. Christ.” Bucky wiggles one of his arms around and pokes Steve in the stomach, grinning when it makes Steve yelp. “This isn’t helping your case, you know. You won’t be able to braid my hair after you’ve _suffocated_ me to death.”

“Yes, I will,” Steve says, smiling down at him. “And with a lot less complaining too.”

Bucky shakes his head, charmed and so hopelessly in love that all he can do is tilt his head up and kiss Steve, soft and sweet. “Really, though,” he says, all kinds of breathless. “You’re crushing me.”

“You mean I’m crushing _on you_ ,” Steve corrects, moving around until they’re on their sides, legs tangled together.

“That was lame, even for you,” Bucky mutters, nuzzling his nose against Steve’s.

“You’re lame.”

“You need better comebacks, Rogers,” Bucky teases. “This is getting embarrassing.”

Steve grumbles, shifting closer and adjusting their positions so he can rest a hand on the back of Bucky’s neck, fingers threading through his hair and tugging a little. “Can I, though?”

“Practice on me?”

“Yeah,” Steve says quietly, looking worried again. “I don’t want to let Izzy down.”

Bucky melts, face softening. “Yeah, sweetheart, you can. As many times as you need to.”

“You sure?”

Bucky closes the distance between them, catching Steve’s mouth in a deep kiss. “I’m sure.”

“Thank you,” Steve says, and abruptly gets up, almost sending Bucky crashing to the floor.

“What the fuck, Steve?”

“Here.” Steve picks up one of their throw pillows and puts it on the floor between his legs in front of the couch, and then grabs his laptop, selecting a tutorial and positioning the screen so he can see it from where he’s sitting. “Sit and let your hair down. The play is in a week and this looks complicated.”

Bucky rolls his eyes, kissing Steve on the shoulder once before sliding down to the floor, making himself comfortable between Steve’s legs. He places one of his hands on Steve’s ankle, thumb stroking the soft skin there, wincing a little as Steve undoes his bun, hair falling to his shoulders.

“Okay?” Steve asks him, fingers carding through Bucky’s hair, making him shiver.

“Yeah,” Bucky answers, sounding half gone already, because out of all the things he loves in the world, having Steve play with his hair is probably in the top five. “Will you carry me to bed if I fall asleep?”

“Yes.” Steve presses a kiss to the top of his head, nails lightly scratching at Bucky’s scalp. “I promise not to draw anything on your face, too.”

Bucky snorts. “Thanks, Stevie. You’re a doll.”

Steve presses his legs tightly to Bucky’s sides for a few seconds before letting go, leaning forward to hit play on the video. They watch it a few times together, Steve frowning as he tries to get the basics of it in his head before starting.

Once he does, Bucky loses focus soon, eyes falling shut as Steve works, hands quick on his hair, touch careful and as gentle as Steve can be. Bucky doesn’t know how long it takes for Steve to get the braid exactly like he wants it to look, only that once he’s done, he squeezes Bucky’s shoulders, thumbs digging into the muscles of Bucky’s back.

“Feels good,” Bucky mumbles, eyes still closed.

Steve bends down and kisses Bucky’s temple, breath tickling Bucky’s ear when he asks, “Want to see how it looks?”

Bucky blinks one eye open. “Do I have to move?”

Steve huffs out a laugh, grabbing the laptop and turning on the webcam before setting it down on the coffee table, right in front of Bucky. Bucky looks at himself on the screen, turning his head to the side so he can see the perfect waterfall braid — or as perfect as it can be with a few short strands woven into it — starting high on his hairline and pinned at the back of his head.

Bucky smiles, fingers carefully touching the strands dropping from the braid. “Nice.”

“You think so?” Steve lets out a relieved breath. “Good. It’s going to look different because Izzy’s hair is longer, but…”

“It looks good.” Bucky kneels and turns around, wrapping his arms around Steve’s neck. “You made me look prettier than I already am.”

“It’s hard, because you’re not that pretty to begin with,” Steve snarks back, kissing the corner of Bucky’s mouth.

Bucky climbs onto Steve’s lap. “Just for that, you’re carrying me to bed.”

Steve does, hands on Bucky’s ass, smile pressed to the side of Bucky’s neck. And later, when they’re both naked and sweaty and Bucky’s braid has come loose, he props himself up on an elbow, hand flat on Bucky’s chest.

“Do you think Izzy will like it?”

“She’ll love it,” Bucky tells him, and then wrinkles his nose, “but please let’s not talk about my niece when there’s still come drying on my stomach.”

Steve laughs but doesn’t pull away when Bucky tugs him down on top of him again, their teeth clinking together when they kiss because they’re smiling so wide.

*

Izzy loves her waterfall braid.

She loves it so much she makes Steve promise to do her hair for every play from now on, throwing herself at him, skinny arms around his neck, hugging him so tight it looks like he can barely breathe when he accepts.

“You’re lucky I love you,” is all Bucky says when Steve comes back to his side.

“Yeah.” Steve smiles softly, leaning close and pressing their foreheads together. “I know.”

Bucky smiles back, brushing a kiss to Steve’s lips, knowing that the lucky one here is him.

**Author's Note:**

> [on tumblr ~](http://hawkguyz.tumblr.com/post/146666632266/slice-of-life-phrase-of-slice-1-a-realistic)


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